Rebirth, and it's Tribulations
by Venom Ferret
Summary: A year after returning home from Tokyo, Akira Kurusu is back to visit his friends. It's upon his return that the Metaverse app appears on the former Phantom Thieves phones once more. Their investigation leads them to a mysterious foe with the power to summon a persona by aiming a gun at their head and firing.
1. Mementos

_March 2nd_

Akira Kurusu could hardly sleep that night and that following morning he practically burst out the front door without almost saying goodbye to his parents. He wore a cheery grin the entire subway ride from his hometown and to Tokyo. Breath nearly fogging up the glass, Akira's eyes widened at the sight of Tokyo through the windows of the subway.

It had been nearly a year since he had left. Returning to his hometown to live his normal life. Yet the moment the van pulled away he had a hole in his heart. His friends, his girlfriend, and a completely different life had left Akira with a void that he couldn't fill. It felt odd to think, but his probation turned out to be something beyond just life-changing.

Checking his phone, Akira had sent to a text to Yusuke, informing him of his arrival as the train pulled into the station. The raven-haired teen managed to just barely make his getaway before the cabin was flooded by a wave of citizens. Smirking to himself, Akira knew that this would be the only time he found enjoyment in seeing an overcrowded train, letting him know that he was in Tokyo.

Taking a glance at the time, he managed to make into the city just a little past two. Sojiro would be waiting for him at Leblanc, his room still the way he had left it. While this wasn't his first visit since his probation, it was the first time that Akira would surprise his friends at school, the exception being Yusuke, who would meet him there, and Futaba, who Akira promised to tell whenever he planned on visiting. As for the rest of his friends, they'd just have to wait till class was over.

Standing across the street from the entrance, to Akira, Shujin Academy had once been a prison. His classroom a cell where he would feel his soul rot away as the passerby would do nothing but watch as a victim of an unjust system suffered from a cruel fate.

All it took was a chance encounter with a new friend and a smartphone app to change that.

Students had begun to leave the school, and Akira straightened his jacket to look presentable. A few stray faces turned his way and recognized him. He would wave hello to them as they walked by. Within the wave of students, a noticeable amount of red hair bounced up and down and made its way towards him.

"Akira!" Futaba Sakura called out, leaping a notable distance as she wrapped her arms around his waist into a tight hug. "I knew you'd be here and I finished all my homework in class."

"Don't you always though." Kurusu quipped, patting his friends head as she released him. "How's it been here? You doing alright?"

"Me and Kana are killing it!" The redhead proclaimed, raising a fist in the air and striking a pose. Akira couldn't help but chuckle a little at the attention she unwittingly brought herself. "Also Mishima took me on as his right-hand man in the AV club. Plus no one really pressures me into athletics, except Makoto."

Adjusting his glasses, Akira smiled at his friend who beamed up at him about her stories about school. "I'm happy you're doing well. I'm proud of you, Futaba." He told her.

"Where's kitty!?" She exclaimed, attempting to brush off his compliments. Akira had grown accustomed her trying to play off any praise.

Morgana's head popped out of the bag, giving a meow to all near passerby, but not to the two, who heard "Next time leave the bag more unzipped. It's getting warmer, ya know."

"Awww!" Futaba reached in and plucked Morgana out of Akira's bag. "Kitty's here." She cooed, attempting to pull Morgana in for a hug, who kept her at bay with his paws on her face.

Akira held back his laughter at Morgana's misfortune, his name being called out at the gates of the school caught his attention. Before he could even react, his senses were assaulted by a wave of blonde hair, strawberry shampoo, a kiss on his lips, and a pair of arms wrapped around his neck.

"I missed you so much…" Ann nearly wept as she pulled away, making sure it was him. Akira wore a genuine smile as he looked back at her before someone else rushed past her.

"Bro!" Ryuji yelled as he tackled him into a hug. Akira barely had the time to brace himself when he hit the ground, his back taking most of the brunt of the fall. "We all missed you so much!" Ryuji said. Looking over, Akira had given an aimless smile when he noticed Futaba snap a picture on her phone.

"Makoto and Haru are gonna want to see this." Futaba snickered as she sent the photo out.

"How long are you here till?" Ann pestered. "Are you staying with Sojiro? What time does your train leave? Are you taking the train? Did you drive here?"

Akira tried to physically defend himself from the onslaught of questions that his girlfriend gave him. "Ann, I-" He tried to answer, but couldn't with her nonstop rambling. Ryuji looked over and waved down Haru and Makoto as they made their way down the stairs.

"Sorry!" Haru exclaimed. "We weren't expecting you so soon. I got caught up on the roof gardening and Makoto was helping a member of the gymnastics team."

"How are you doing?" Makoto jumped straight to the formalities, greeting him with a hug. "We had a feeling you'd drop a surprise on us at some point." Haru made sure she got her hug in as well.

"Yusuke told us he wanted to meet up in Shibuya later this afternoon." Haru told them. "I thought it was strange that he was making plans with us. Guess we know why."

Smiling to his friend, Akira led the group away from school and to the subway. 

_A gasp rang out within a desolate labyrinth  
_

"I do apologize for being unable to be there for the surprise reunion." Yusuke explained to the group, before raising his chopsticks to his mouth to take a bite of sushi.

"I have pictures!" Futaba proclaimed, before frantically scrolling through her phone show him the pics.

Quickly swallowing his bite of food, Yusuke held a hand towards Futaba as he sipped a glass of water. "I will refrain for now. My imagination of how it went will be the perfect source of inspiration for my next art piece."

"So happy it's the same old Yusuke we know." Morgana quipped, before Akira pushed his head back into his bag.

"Speaking of," Makoto blushed a deep red as she spoke up. "You should really see the individual portraits he's working on. I really liked how mine turned out."

Akira could feel a cold sweat form. "You didn't make her pose nude did you-"

"Heavens no!" Yusuke retorted. "Unlike you Akira, I actually _fear_ for my life."

Ann leaned over onto Akira's shoulder, looking at Yusuke. "So what, am I not threatening?"

"I never said such things." The artist shook his head. "I'm just saying I don't fear for my well being when it comes to you."

"Oh, you're on then." Ann declared. Akira smiled at his girlfriends spunk as the rest of the group laughed at their antics.

_Opening their eyes, they peered through their mask as they scanned their environment_

The group moved through the city streets. Akira kept an arm around Ann's waist as they watched Ryuji lead the group.

"So then my plan would be a workout thing that's in the jungle." The blonde proclaimed. "It's perfect, you'll get fit by surviving in the wilderness."

"Really!?" Akira spoke up, sarcasm lacing his voice. "Tell us more and maybe I'll invest in your business."

"Imagine how fit you'd be running from crazy wildlife." The others found Ryuji enthusiasm grating.

"Dude, someone will break you leg again and leave you for the gorillas." Akira told him, causing laughter to break out within the group, even Ryuji.

"See and that's my next plan. I would become an ape warrior." Ryuji explained. Causing Akira to double over in laughter. Ann tried her best to hold onto her boyfriend as he wiped away his tears.

"I'm in!" Akira declared between fits of giggling. "Let's go to the jungle Ryuji. I'll become a leader of the tribe of ape warriors."

"What the hell are you guys even talking about?" Ann asked, as her boyfriend reeled from his friends antics. 

_His hands felt the cold steel beneath him as he began to rise to his feet slowly_

"Yeah, we'll return all feral and speak in nothing but grunts." Akira joked, causing Ann to clutch her stomach in laughter. "Would you still love me if I was an Ape man?"

"Of course, I'd be happy to reteach you modern speaking skills." The blonde girl tried to explain. "Of course if you came back in nothing but a loin cloth, I wouldn't mind that too."

"Whoa, tmi." Ryuji said to them as he caught up to the rest of the group. "Come on guys, everyone's waiting."

Ann began to walk ahead before her wrist was caught. She was spun around and came face to face with Akira as he pulled her close. Her hands rested firmly on his chest as he pulled her into a deep kiss.

"I'll always love you…" He whispered.

_His heart raced in his chest, and his body had no idea how to react to it_

Akira and Ann, hand in hand, caught up to the group. They had crossed the street in Shibuya, all of them discussing possible plans.

"I'm tellin ya," Ryuji exclaimed. "Let's all go do a workout marathon." He said.

"How about a group study session?" Makoto suggested. "It'll be more fun with Akira around."

"Boring!" Futaba butted in. "How about a movie marathon?"

"I can see if we can go to Destinyland again?" Haru chimed in.

"Perhaps we could all visit the most scenic areas around Tokyo." Yusuke said.

"Guys," Akira held up his hands to try and hold off his friends barrage of suggestions. "It's all fine as long as I'm with you." He said as his phone, everyone's phones, suddenly vibrated.

_The sound of chains rattling startled him for once. Turning his head towards the source, there was a slight tremble in his stance as he braced himself for it's inevitable arrival. But instead, something new arose within, an alien concept that had never crossed his mind._

"_No…"_

Time suddenly stopped, and Akira almost instinctively froze with it. This was a feeling he knew all too well as his friends looked around in confusion and panic. Every person around was suddenly a coffin standing upright as dark clouds invaded the sky. Futaba clung to Makoto's waist for protection as the other examined their surroundings.

"What the hell is…" Ryuji couldn't finish his sentence as he looked over at Akira. Ann clutched his hand tightly, awaiting the guidance he usually provided. His eyes were fixated on the sky above them. The flatscreen on the skyscraper showed a ticking green clock, and in front of it was a silver figure, strumming a lyre gently.

"A Persona…" Akira had muttered under his breath.

The Persona in question glanced down at the group looking at him. With that, it gave one last strum across it's instrument as it faded away. And with it, time returned to normal. The sun returned to the blue sky and everyone resumed going about their day.

Wasting no time, the group booked it out of Station Square and to their old meeting spot. Akira panted heavily as he pulled Ann by her hand as he hurried through the busy subway, nearly bumping into a woman who had just exited the train.

Not like this, he didn't want to reminisce over being a phantom thief at one of their hideouts after having another encounter with a persona. Akira swore that every time he walked through Station Square something crazy would happen. He had stopped to catch his breath as he released Ann's hand. The other having caught up with him.

"So uh… I guess Tokyo's happy to have you back, bro." Ryuji told him, patting him on the back. Akira was too distressed to respond properly. He instead reached for his phone and was greeted with a familiar app that had a black and red eye stared at him with a star for an iris.

"This can't be right." Makoto thought aloud. "We should have finished all of that. Mementos and everything."

"Perhaps our work is not yet done." Yusuke proposed. "That Persona we saw just now, you wouldn't happen to know anything about, would you?" He asked Akira.

"I can't say I do, not that one in particular." Steadying himself on the railing, "If I learned about it before, it's left my mind." He said, Morgana poking his head out of the bag.

"Well there's only one way we're going to find out why we saw it, and why all the people turned into coffins." The cat spoke. Everyone in turn, looked at their phones. "We don't have to do this, but if we all saw what we saw, we better figure it out, and fast."

Akira clenched his fist. It was the last thing he ever wanted to return to the Metaverse, to resume service as a Phantom Thief. The way that Persona looked at him and his friends, as if beckoning them for a challenge. Yet, there were possibilities open to him that this return of the app could grant that made him curious. Perhaps Morgana could become a human through this, and Akira entertained the idea that maybe that Persona he saw was acquired by an ally once thought to be lost.

"I'm not saying we all have to go, and I won't force any of you to go with me. But-"

"I'm stopping you right there, dude." Ryuji interjected. "You don't have to tell us that we don't have to go, cause we're right behind you." He told him.

Looking at his friends, all of them gave him the look of determination to follow him back into the Metaverse. On his shoulder, Morgana nudged him gently with his head, as Ann squeezed his hand beside him.

"We're in." Makoto told him.

With no other words, Akira pressed his thumb on the app. 

* * *

"Oh baby it feels good to be back!" Skull declared loudly, with no worries of someone hearing him within the mementos. Akira felt a weird ping of nostalgia at the sight of his friends all in their phantom thieves attire. A smile spread across his face at the sight of Ann patting Mona's head, who seemed to be enjoying being back to his "Metaverse form."

Another memory popped into his head and Joker's head snapped to the left, and was disappointed by the lack of a glowing blue door being guarded by two, very small, jail wardens, or more fittingly, one girl with a book.

"Should be easy with all your persona's at least, huh Joker?" Ann said, putting an arm on his shoulder.

"I… only sense Arsene." He told her, before turning to address his team. "Listen up, same rules as last time. Stick with codenames. Whatever brought us here, we find it and deal with it as quickly and quietly as possible. As far as the public is concerned, the Phantom Thieves are still gone." Joker turned to Futaba, who was typing away at her laptop. "What do you have, Oracle?"

"Nothing, really." She adjusted her goggles. "It's almost like there's nothing here except a few levels, and I can barely find any shadows. Only thing I can find is the faint signal just a few levels down. Wouldn't hurt to give that a shot."

Joker turned around and was surprised to see Mona had already turned into a car. "Let's roll, gang." The cat turned automobile called.

The drive through mementos was mainly filled with idle chit chat. The subject of supposed change of hearts happening after Akira's departure, to Joker claiming he's had dreams of being a phantom thief and fighting some "weird people" and to the topic of school.

"I'm telling yah, I think Kawakami was hiding something in her personal life." Ryuji gossiped.

"Yeah, no shit. That's why it's called a personal life." Akira called back from the driver's seat. From shotgun, Makoto chided the blonde in his invasion of privacy.

"Look man, all I'm saying is I think she got up to something." He raised his hands defensively.

"Yeah well," Joker turned to look over his shoulder as he reached an intersection. "We didn't have to change her heart so whatever it was I'm sure it was fine."

_***SLAM***_

Joker found himself being tossed around within his seat and onto the ground as Morgana tumbled to the ground in his normal form.

"Ambush!" Makoto called out as a group of shadows appeared.

"Panther, help Mona. Y-Fox, get Oracle on her feet and to safety. Noir, Skull, you're with me and Queen." Akira had ordered. As Ann rushed over to heal Morgana while Yusuke helped Futaba up, sword in hand.

"We have two, no three Andras, a Kelpie, and a Pixie." Makoto told Joker.

The three Andras spread apart, attempting to surround the group as the Pixie hid behind them. Before the teens could even form a plan, the three rushed them at once, with the four just barely dodging in time. Spinning a handgun in his hand, Joker fired a few rounds into the chest of one of the Andras before turning and firing a round at the pixie, which managed to dodge into time and heal it's wounded ally.

"Skull, aim for the Pixie. Noir, see if you can hit them all with a grenade." He ordered, before turning his sights to the Kelpie.

Skull combat rolled past an Andras and used his bat to attack the ankles of another. Pumping his shotgun, Ryuji fell into a slide across the ground as he pointed up at the pixie and squeezed a shell off, vaporizing the shadow. He quickly turned and fired two more shells at the Andras before Haru was able to fire a grenade shell at them, eliminating two more as Ryuji planted his boot on the back of the last one before firing off another shotgun shell.

"Hell yeah!" He declared victoriously. Haru ran up to him and turned him towards Joker and Queen, who was helping her leader as he shook off the blow from a Kelpie as it summoned another one.

"Heads up! You got an Archangel coming." Oracle called out as said shadow appeared to assist it's allies.

"Damnit!" Joker spat. "Are you kidding me?"

"Let's do this you shadow bastards!" Ryuji said as he reached for his mask.

Suddenly, the shadows turned towards the same direction, and suddenly took off. As Joker was healed, he observed the shadows retreating and was tempted to shoot them in the back as they fled.

"Joker…" Ann spoke up, Morgana following her as she pointed behind him.

From the dark corridors of the Mementos did footsteps ring out. A lone figure emerge. They wore a dark coat that had buttoned up to the collar, and wore a peculiar mask that looked to made out of glass that covered everything past their upper lips. Within the mask did it portray a green clock which the group assumed told the actual time.

From the moment he saw this figure, the hairs on the back of the Joker's neck stood up. It was like reuniting with someone, but to his recollection he had never seen this person before in his life. Only thing that struck him was the blue hair, similar to Yusuke's.

"Whatever… brought you all here…" He spoke, his voice grail and raspy. "It was a mistake. Leave now, lest you wish to succumb to my fate."

The look amongst the team varied. Some chalked it up to smack talk, others wished to heed his warning. Joker stepped forward, dagger and knife in hand. "Whatever brought us here is taking up my time. Now you either bring us to it or get out of our way."

Shaking his head, the figure merely smirked. "Time… so precious to you also." Looking up to look Akira dead in the eyes through his mask, the figure sighed. "It's too bad though, it ends eventually for everyone."

"Enough! We're going to take your heart." He said, glancing back at his team, which looked ready for the fight that was brewing.

"If only there was one to take." The figure said, drawing his sword, a moon god etched into the hilt.

Joker charged forward, swing his dagger. It skidded across the blade of the sword, emitting sparks as the mysterious foe leapt back. Pointing the barrel at his target, Joker fired off several rounds at his opponent's feet who dodged them all too gracefully before jumping forward and taking a swing for Joker's neck with the tip of the blade.

Skull stepped in, blocking the swing with his bat before pushing his enemy away from his friend. Joker had ordered to stay back unless said otherwise, much to the antsiness of Makoto. Ryuji attempted to sweep the legs which the foe had dodged, leaping over him and elbowing Ryuji in the back of the head. Joker swung a kick at him, catching the target in his side as he was knocked over. Allowing his friend to recover, Joker looked over to see his enemy raise their sword at him.

"Persona!" He called out, and was secretly delighted when he could see his opponent back down at the sight of Arsene appearing before them. "Stand down now, it won't end well for you."

His mouth was agape as he stared back at Arsene, as he yearned for the fiery passion the Persona emitted. Yet, that flame had been extinguished long ago. Reaching behind him and drawing the one thing that makes him feel something, he stared past the rebellious flames and at Akira.

"He's got a gun! Watch yourselves." Makoto called out.

"I'm really glad I met you." He said, before raising his head and putting the barrel under his chin as he inhaled sharply.

"No wait!" Joker reached a hand out.

The trigger pulled, and glass shattered out of his head. Exhaling as his eyes glazed over. The blue mist around him swirled as his Persona, Orpheus emerged, facing the group once again.

"It's him…" Yusuke commented.

Both Persona users stared at each other. Arsene's blue flames burned around Joker as he looked on at the user of Orpheus, who's flames raged towards him. It had been a while since Akira trembled under the power an opponent resonated, and it enraged him that it was this one who caused it.

"Joker, plan?" Fox called out to him. Instead of thinking on his feet, their leader was left tongue tied by the view of the young man with his Persona. Orpheus plucked a tune on their lyre as if the Phantom Thieves were being taunted by it's menacing tune.

"Forget it dude, let's fall back and regroup." Skull called to him, grabbing his friend by the shoulders. "Do you hear me, Joker? We should leave, right?" He talked into Akira's ear, still gaining no response.

"Joker, listen to me! Are you even listening? Joker!" 

* * *

"Holy fucking shit dude…" Ryuji said, watching Tokyo's citizens going about their day. "That actually happened, right? That was a Persona user?"

The group had pondered over their encounter. They had gotten their answer as to why the Mementos returned to them and were met with an even bigger challenge for them to face. Whoever that was, they were skilled in fighting, and that was even before he pulled out a gun and shot himself in the head to summon a Persona. From there, the man was hellbent on trying to kill them, forcing a retreat back to their subway hideout.

That was the part that nagged at Akira. He expected a surprise, that the mask would be removed and it would be someone he was supposed to know like he felt when he first saw him approach them. It was the moment he turned that gun on himself Joker felt a pang in his chest as he thought someone would die right in front of him.

"It's possible that there are others like us, perhaps." Yusuke's voice snapped him out of his stupor. "If we were able to find each other, then maybe someone else is taking up our mantle."

"Doubt it." Akira interjected. "There's no more targets, no phan site. Mishima himself told me he shut the site down. Whatever that guys is doing down there, it's for his own gain." Makoto thought over the words for a moment.

"Whatever it is, it couldn't have been good." The brunette said. "Even with that mask on, he looked like he wanted to kill all of us. Almost like he wanted us out."

Ryuji scoffed. "That's bullshit though." He exclaimed. "That's our stomping ground. We were there first and this newbie rolls in and shoots himself to summon Persona's that plays the harp." The athlete blurted out, ignoring Ann's attempt to keep him quiet or Yusuke's correction.

"That's just it. He didn't summon it like we did. This isn't a phantom thief wannabee." Futaba piped up. "The way he spun the gun in his hand, he's done it before. He was planning to hand our asses to us on a silver platter the moment he shot himself too."

The one thing Akira remember was the look of almost hesitation, as if their target was actually going to go through with a suicide. While tearing off his mask the first time was one of the greatest pains he had ever felt, the idea of shooting himself with a gun every time he wanted to summon a Persona made his skin crawl.

"Excuse me?" A calm voice spoke up. Akira's head turned to see a young woman in her mid twenties, with blue-teal hair braided in the front. "I apologize, but I was wondering if you knew what station you take to get to Yongen-Jaya."

His eyes narrowed. The woman, in a white sundress with sleeves, seemed rather meek in appearance. Not that it meant she could pose a threat, he had learned when he first arrived. It didn't help that Ryuji's habit of loudly blabbering things in public already had him on edge. "It's down stairs. You'll want to go through the underground mall to get there." Akira directed. At the very least, he could avoid suspicion by pointing her away from them.

"Thank you. And again, I didn't mean to interrupt you all." she said before turning on her heels to walk away.

"Shooting yourself…" She whispered to herself. Her heart raced at the memories that flashed before her. "For a persona…" It couldn't be that she had just ran in with the famed Phantom Thieves. Subtlety wasn't Fuuka's strongest suit, as she had reacted on a whim when she overheard them. Still, whoever it was they were talking about caught her attention, and she would have to find out more.

Turning head back to give one last look, she let out a shocked gasp when the young man with shaggy, raven coloured hair was looking right back at her.


	2. Sanctuary

"Hoo boy, you guys look wiped already." Sojiro smirked as the group entered Cafe Leblanc. "I wanted to call and make sure you got here alright, but I figured to let you all be."

Sojiro Sakura's ignorance happened to be a simultaneous blessing and a curse. From the way everyone looked as they walked inside, it had been an eventful day. "Sorry to drop this on ya, but I was waiting till you got here. You mind watching the place for a little bit while I run to the store for a quick minute."

The last thing Akira wanted to do was take any form of responsibility for a store, even if it had as little business as Leblanc usually got. But yet, Sojiro was still kind enough to allow him to stay here free of charge again. It was the least he could do for him. "You can all help yourself to some coffee just as long as you don't clean out the stock. If a customer shows up and they give you trouble, throw em out." Sojiro chuckled.

Nodding to his host, Akira responded with a simple "Yes, Boss." Sojiro was admittedly put off by his bluntness. Chalking it up to his maybe being tired, he left the store to him and his friends.

"Alright gang," Akira chided, feigning enthusiasm as he but on an apron. "Who wants some coffee?"

The contrast between returning to the Metaverse and normal, everyday life was a lot to bare for Akira's mind. Thankfully, the act of brewing coffee for some of his friends was more than enough to put it at ease.

"So… leader." Makoto spoke up, breaking the minimal silence within the cafe. Kurusu winced at the sound of being called "leader," and even a few glares were shot her way. Rubbing the back of her neck, the student council president pressed on. "What are your plans about… you know…"

Exhaling out of his nose, Akira simply poured a cup of coffee and slid it to her. He avoided Makoto's gaze as much as he could, readjusting his glasses for a moment as he began making another cup of coffee.

"We're going back, right?" Ryuji started speaking. "We gotta show that guy we're not a bunch of pansies. That was a tactical retreat, right Akira?" He said, leaning towards him over the counter.

Still avoiding eye contact, Akira sighed out of his mouth this time. "Maybe," He took off his glasses to wipe smudges off the lens. "We just let it be." He stated bluntly. His words sent a ripple of emotions across the cafe that didn't sit well with most of them. Ann was the first to rise out of her seat, with some bracing for her womanly scorn.

"Now just hold on a second!" She called out, walking over and gently moving Ryuji to face Akira. "You just think we can let that slide, huh!?" Ann lectured, pointing at him. "I think you need to rethink this for a second."

"Ann…" Akira's breath hung heavy as he looked up to meet her glare. "I understand your desire to solve this, in fact it's what I love most about you." His mouth twitched, as if he wanted to smile. "But I don't want to see you or anyone else here get hurt."

"But what about _him_?" She asked. "He might have the power to do something drastic in the Mementos. We can't have another situation like this on our hands."

Running a hand over his face, Akira thought for a moment. Oh the pain of being a teenager and having to be burdened with not having the world go to shit cause of a smartphone app that lets you cross dimensions. On one hand, he just wanted to do normal teenage things with his friends. Being relieved of being a Phantom Thief had lift a great burden from him, and as much as it changed him for the better, it wasn't something he wanted to return to. On the other, whoever this blue haired Persona wielder was, he was trouble. It distrubed him to think someone like them found their way into the Metaverse and was scaring the shadows away. Having that power alone was enough of a concern for them all.

The bell rang, signalling the return of Sojiro. Only it wasn't him.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, before giggling lightly. "Didn't expect to run into you all again." The teal hair woman said. "My friend recommended this cafe to me."

"Welcome." Haru was the first to greet her. "Akira here would be happy to brew you up something." She looked over to him, and gave him an encouraging smile.

"What'll it be?" Akira tried his best to hide his disdain for a customer at now of all times.

"Something sweet, but not a lot of caffeine." She ordered, before taking her seat.

There hung a tense silence between the group of teens while the same silence was of ignorance for Fuuka. She wanted to bring up the conversation she had overheard from earlier. A good way would be to start with something else. Luckily, a good topic happened to be sitting right next to her.

"Aw." Fuuka cooed, noticing the cat sitting in the seat next to her. "Can I pet them?" She asked, taking Akira's attention away from the drink he was brewing to figure out what she meant for a millisecond.

"Of course. He loves it." He smirked.

"Curse you…" Morgana muttered, which came out his low meow. "Why must you do this to… oh…"

Fuuka's touch was tender to the kittens head, her fingers gently rubbing his ears as he nails gently raked across the top of his head. Its touch rivaled Ann's in relaxation for Mona, and he almost wanted to hop on Fuuka's lap and let her pet him all day.

"So cute," Fuuka said as Akira gently slid a drink to her. "So are you all from here?" She asked.

Akira slammed his hand on the table, startling her and Morgana and catching the attention of everyone in the room. "How much did you hear?" He interrogated.

Fuuka was frozen in fear. She hated being yelled at. Her server had a look of repressed rage in his eyes as he stared her down. "I-I… I don't-"

"The subway, earlier. I know you overheard us. What are you going to do?" Akira restated.

"Not on purpose." Fuuka defended. "I didn't mean to hear you guys but your friend was being loud and I couldn't help but overhear."

Ryuji felt his neck heat up as he avoided the glares of everyone else in the room.

"Great," Akira sneered. "Well, what do you plan to do? Gonna report us?"

"No." Fuuka shook her head. "I would never."

"Fine then." Akira sighed. "Drinks on the house." He said, reminding himself to cover the costs himself later. Turning away, he began to wash his hands hoping that she would leave shortly.

"But I want to ask you something." Fuuka's voice invaded his ears once again. What he wouldn't do to get her to leave.

"You're not learning a damn thing about what we do." Akira turned around, facing her.

"But I…" Fuuka took a sip of her drink, took a deep breath, then looked up to meet Akira's glare. "I know how you do it."

"Really now." Akira spoke, sarcasm lacing his voice. "Explain then."

"You point an Evoker at yourself and fire."

Akira shook his head. "Fancy name, but you probably are repeating what you heard earl-"

"Glass shatters out of you. There's blue smoke!" Fuuka leapt from her seat, knocking over her chair on to the ground. "Sorry, sorry, sorry." She repeated as she knelt down, trembling as she picked up the stool. Makoto helped her, giving her a comforting hand on the shoulder.

"Just breath, okay. We'll listen to whatever it is you have to say." She assured her. Fuuka smiled to her, fighting back the tears forming in her eyes.

"You said _he_ pulled out a gun and shot himself to summon a Persona, right?" Fuuka questioned, turning the subject on Akira. He could see the woman's compassion in her interrogation. "And you said his Persona had an instrument. Who was it that summoned it?"

"We don't know, and we don't think we're going back. Guy tried to kill us." Akira told her. "Look, you need to explain-"

"I will!" Fuuka snapped, shocking Akira. The one timid woman had a fiery passion that was gonna get her an answer out of them one way or another. "What did he look like? What did he say?"

"Look, please calm down." Akira tried to plead.

Slamming her hands on the table, causing some of her coffee to spill on the counter, she looked the wildcard dead in the eyes.

"Did he have blue hair?" She asked, her voice dripping with venom.

Akira's mouth hung agape. It seemed his fate had been tied to that blue hair man and this woman was his way of tying him to it. "Yeah." He answered simply, ready to gauge her reaction.

Her breath trembled, and Fuuka's knees gave out as the dam broke. Tears leaked from her eyes as she turned around and began to fall to the ground. Ann caught her and pulled her into a comforting hold. "I… knew it…" She sobbed. "He's alive…"

There was a bit of awkwardness among them. As Fuuka cried her eyes out, the rest were waiting for an answer as to why, and who it was that put her in such an emotional state.

"Pardon for asking but," Yusuke spoke up. "Who is this Persona user that you know?" 

* * *

Minato Arisato felt the mask fused to his face. Every tug pulled at his skin. The pain didn't seem worth to remove it. It seemed to be made with a sort of glass material, perhaps he could smash it off his face at some point. Anything to get rid of the taunting clock that was projected on it.

It was the only thing that let him know how long he had been here. It had to be at least a year since he's awoken here in a noticeably aged body. All he could remember was his friends seeing him one last time. All he wanted was for them to live on as he could become the great seal.

When he drifted off on Aigis's lap, he remembered just dreaming. It seemed like going off to a deep sleep. Arisato never knew dying was going to feel so peaceful and he couldn't have asked for a better way to go. Seeing his friends one last time, and dreaming of dancing, seeing his parents and watching movies. Strange, but he figured that's just how it was when you die.

Then the dreams got strange, the colour red being featured prominently. It seemed like something was attacking him in his sleep and when Minato was certain he or someone he knew was in danger, he had awoken in the subway tunnels. A sword by his side, and his evoker still with him, he had taken up slaying stranded shadows that never seemed to end.

He never got hungry, never thirsty, only tired. This was hell, and Minato knew this was where he belonged. What kind of friend was he to die and leave them all behind. The pain they must have all gone through was what put him here. Only a truly terrible person would pledge his friendship and love to so many wonderful people only to leave them behind.

His memories getting more and more vague. Junpei Iori was his first friend, right? Yukari hated him from the moment she saw him, he thought. Mitsuru was involved in something shady… It was started to leave his mind. Probably for the best. There was someone very important too, in blue if he recalled.

Fuuka Yamagishi. Her cooking was terrible. She had a timid demeanor. And she wasn't a fighter against shadows.

And Minato Arisato had never loved someone so much before in his life.

She was someone who aspired to help others in some way, and struggled through the battle to find that answer to how she could. What he wouldn't give to hold her in his arms once more, pet her soft hair and feel her comforting touch. It's best it never got to that point. His touch was poison now, and it was for the best they never met again.

The only person he wouldn't mind seeing again was that team of shadow fighters with the masks. Their leader, especially. Minato was certain it was someone he was destined to meet at some point. His "take your heart" line was corny as hell, he thought. At the very least, Minato was able to sense the drive behind his goals. He hoped that before he let shadows claim him, Minato could talk to him again for a moment. Enough for him to get to know each other.

The sound of chains rattling drew near once again. Minato was almost drawn to it's siren call as he looked towards the gloomy corridors of the subway. Perhaps today he would face his demise head on. Though, a rogue thought lingered in the back of his mind that told him to prolong it just a little longer.

His mouth twitched, and Minato almost found himself smiling for once. Perhaps later, he thought. It wasn't time to face Death head on. That still didn't stop him from having a look of excitement in his eyes. 

* * *

"And… I love him." Fuuka finally confessed to the group. Time had past as she introduced herself, and what SEES was. Her story of how she went from a timid, bullied girl to someone who was able to use her abilities to help others. How she and her friends were able to prevent the end of mankind from the Dark Hour because of their leaders sacrifice.

Akira observed her words carefully. She was indeed a past persona user. A different generation was an appropriate term. He went from resenting the woman's presence to being riddled with fascination over how they summoned their persona's. In return, he was more than happy to fill her in with how they operated as the phantom thieves.

"But what about you guys?" She said, diverting the topic. "You all tear off masks?" Fuuka asked. "Sounds painful."

"Well, I mean a little for me." Ryuji bragged. "What about you guys?

"I thought I was dying." Akira stated.

"My fingers dragged blood across the ground from how painful it was." Yusuke followed up.

"It was the first time I felt truly alive." Makoto told them.

"I…" Futaba began to speak. "Got off easy, I guess."

"So you'll help?" Fuuka asked, her eyes beaming with hope.

"Yeah…" Akira started speaking. "I'm still not sold on finding your friend." He told her. "Not that we don't want to, there's just not enough evidence for us to know if that was actually him or not." Their brief explanation about the cognitive shadows was enough to help Fuuka understand their reluctance. She nodded, slightly defeated. "If you were able to help us prove it's really him, then we'll plan something to find him again."

Fuuka sprang out of her chair in excitement. "I can think of something." She repeatedly bowed to them. "Thank you all." She quickly grabbed her bag. "I'll look into who can find out what they know about him. As she got up to leave, Fuuka suddenly reached around in her bag. "Let me pay you for the coffee."

Akira began to put his hands up. "Oh, it's not trouble really. I'm sorry for being so hard on you-"

Fuuka slammed more yen than the drink was worth on the table before quickly heading outside. Grabbing her phone, she ran through the options in her head. Some, like Junpei and Ken were busy somewhere outside of Iwotodai. Others had positions that she felt may not have been worth risking in order to investigate.

Reluctantly, she began to type.

* * *

Akira slept soundly that night, Ann by his side and Morgana on his chest. He did his best after Fuuka left to steer the topics away from anything metaverse or Persona related. Though the thought of this Minato Arisato lingered in the back of his head for the rest of the evening. He let Ann stay over that night, and told Morgana he was too tired to kick him out for the night. All he wanted was a comfortable sleep that night in his bed.

It seemed they wouldn't let him have that either, as his eyes shot open almost intentionally. There was no mistaking the inaudible sirens song as he rose up from within his cell. Unexpected visits to the velvet room always gave him a pang of anxiety and this one was no exception. He did his best to calm himself down before walking over to the open door of his cell. As he examined the desk that faced him, a small voice gasped in surprise.

"My trickster!" Lavenza skipped over and Akira felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. Smiling to himself, he gently patted her head before looking over to Igor, who's grin always put him in a strange mood no matter friend or foe.

"Well now," He had spoke, his mouth not even moving, showing Akira the cheshire smile no matter how much he wanted to escape it. "It's so nice to make your acquaintance after some time for you." Akira said nothing, merely staring back at Igor as he awaited some form of an answer from the being. Instead, Igor leaned forward and folded his hands. "It seems you're path has crossed with that who fate has been tied to your since before you were even chosen as a wildcard."

"What does my fate have to do with him?" Akira asked.

Igor stood up straight in his chair. "I do think you will earn the right to that answer in some time."

"Just know this," Lavenza spoke, looking up at Kurusu as she still hugged him. "This may not be the most difficult task you'll partake, but it will be very personal to you and the bonds you formed. You may find an answer you seek for a while now."

"Should you pursue after this task," Igor spoke. "We shall meet again, perhaps in different circumstances."

It seemed to all fade away. Lavenza's silky smooth hair was replaced with the feeling of Morgana's fur. The cat would scratch him to pieces if he was awake to notice all the affection he got. The sun peeked through the window blinds and Ann laid quietly by his side, sleeping soundly. It was early enough that Sojiro hadn't arrived yet to open the store. Unable to escape the covers without disturbing the cat, Akira opted to scoop Morgana up in his arms and carried him down the stairs. Letting out a small meow, the cat shook himself awake before letting out a human sounding yawn.

"What time is it?" He asked. Akira merely placed him on one of the stools by the counter and patted him on the head.

"About fifteen before Sojiro comes here. I'm gonna make us some coffee." Akira said as he grabbed his apron before washing his hands. Morgana watched as he selected what beans he would use before boiling water.

"So have you decided if you're gonna take up Fuuka's request or not?" Morgana asked, prompting a tired sigh from Akira.

"I'm still not sure." Akira told him. Morgana wanted to interject, but stopped himself. Not only did he have a good reason to not want to go back into the metaverse but it was also too early for any sort of argument. The cat opted to hear out his friends reason. "I know Fuuka wants us to, and believe me I do think there are circumstances where I'd accept it in a heartbeat." Akira explained, the cat listening intently. "But we don't know how long he's been down there. You saw, he was completely unstable. I'm not sure I'm ready to put my friends in the way of that kind of harm again."

Morgana nodded. As much as he opposed not doing anything about it, Akira made a great argument. While the two may never understand what it's like to be one another, being cat was a lot more different from being a teenager. He understood where Akira would just want to leave it behind and do normal stuff with his friends.

"Well I'll just say, this isn't the first time we fought a crazed persona user." Morgana spoke up, and Akira felt himself clench the rag in his hand tightly. "But I do remember that even then you still wanted to save him."

It almost felt like a low blow to bring him up, Akira thought. It was the greatest failure he had as a Phantom Thief. If Morgana was trying to word it like he had a chance at redemption, it certainly worked. Perhaps the cat had found his "fatty tuna" bribe for him.

His phone buzzed, and he reached to check it. To his surprise it was a newly acquired contact with no contact picture. He knew who it was immediately.

_Fuuka: I've contacted an acquaintance to investigate Minato's whereabouts. I'll let you know when they get back to me. Feel free to relax today._

"I'll guess we'll wait and see, Morgana." Akira told him, causing the cat to beam up at him. 

* * *

Putting his phone away, he drew out a heavy breath. It was too early for these kind of revelations. What he wouldn't give to crawl back into bed and spend more time with his wife. Wasn't like he had much of a choice since she was an earlier riser than him. Walking out to the living room, he could see her sitting on the couch, enjoying a cup of tea and checking the news on her tablet.

"Have you gotten Yamagishi's messages?" Akihiko spoke up, catching Mitsuru's attention. Her hair pulled back into a bun, her night clothes still on. "Cause it's something… interesting to say the least."

She wore a grim look, a look of not getting your hopes up. "I have, and it's certainly a surprise." Mitsuru had put a hand on her stomach. "I think she was reluctant to tell me, and I'm trying not to think too much about it."

"That's for the best." Akihiko told her, rubbing his eyes to get the drowsiness out of his system. "I'm going to look into it." He told her. "I know it's probably not a good idea… but if he's alive."

"I won't stop you." Mitsuru said in a soft voice. "We've all been thinking that he may not actually be gone… good luck, okay."

Smiling, Akihiko walked over and planted a kiss on his wife's lips, a hand running over her swollen stomach. "I promise I won't do anything drastic."

"You liar." She teased.

* * *

"Man I thought she was gonna rip my head off." The student spoke to his friends.

"Aye man, that's what you get when you fall asleep in class." His other friend spoke.

Akihiko smirked to himself at the passing students. He knew who it was they were talking about when he passed by them. Gekkoukan High School was still the same from what he could remember. While with every generation came new trends and such, it's overall core had remained the same. Even then, a few teachers had been replaced by new ones. One in particular stood out to him, as she gave her students a farewell as they left the school grounds.

"Have a good one." Aigis called out as the students left class for the day. She looked up to see Akihiko standing across from her. She ran over to pull him into a tight hug.

"How are you doing!?" She asked, before jumping to another question. "Is the police force treating you well? Oh, how is Mitsuru doing?"

"It's all fine." Akihiko's smile turned to a look of seriousness. "I was wondering if you heard from Yamagishi lately."

"Y-yes…" Aigis looked behind to make sure no students were eavesdropping. "I always knew he'd come back."

"I'm not entirely sold on it myself." He told her. "She told us she had a "credible source" on who it was that saw him. Did you get the part about the…" Akihiko looked around quickly. "The part that they were a new generation of Persona users?" Aigis nodded, holding her lips closed at the topic. "Something about a metaverse, but it might be some cognitive version of him. If it's actually him, we'll need proof the real him isn't in this world anymore."

"How do we do that, then?" Aigis asked.

"Let's start where we buried him."

The rest of the day was spent waiting by the very seconds until they knew they wouldn't be caught. Under the cover of darkness did Akihiko sneak into the graveyard. It was a matter of luck that Minato happened one of the very few not cremated in Japan. He stood silently as he has hoped no one was still around. It wasn't like his status as a police officer would set someone off. A routine investigation, he'd tell them.

"Akihiko, are you there?" Aigis's voice whispered out, startling the officer. He turned to see the robot approaching him, wearing a black cloak with a hood. "I checked to make sure no one else was around. I figure that if you were here, then I guess you could arrest me for trespassing."

"Don't worry, they'll believe me when I told them the culprit got away." He said. "We can take shifts digging." Akihiko threw off his jacket as the two searched for the gravesite.

They buried him as soon as they learned about him passing. It all seemed like a long forgotten memory that they reminded of themselves at the end of every school year. Poor Fuuka was in hysterics throughout the whole thing. No one was able to trace where his parents had been laid to rest, so they chose to have his funeral here instead.

Reluctantly, Akihiko plunged the shovel into the soil. "When this is over, regardless of the outcome, we're going to church." He told Aigis.

As they made their progress, Aigis felt the need to break the silence. "Did you decide on any names yet?"

Wiping some sweat from his brow, Akihiko responded with "Well, I was planning to name them after him if it was a boy, but that may need to change." He threw another pile of dirt out of the site. "I dunno, the name Makoto sticks out to me, regardless of male or female. Mitsuru wanted to name the baby Minako if it was a girl."

"That sounds like a lovely name." Aigis responded. She checked the perimeter around as Akihiko kept digging. Suddenly his shovel hit a hard surface, and she hopped down to clear the dirt around the casket. Both of their hands trembled as they made space for an opening. She reached to open it but Akihiko stopped her. He looked at her with a stern gaze as he reached for it instead.

"Forgive me, and have mercy on my soul." He whispered to him. "One… two… THREE!" He grunted, more loudly than he should have. The casket door flew open, flinging dust and dirt along with it. Aigis turned her head away, awaiting whatever verbal response Akihiko made as a telltale sign of their efforts. First she was relieved at the absence of his voice, then into terror when she thought his might have been shocked at what he saw.

Reaching down, all that lay within the coffin was a red armband. Grabbing it, he held it up to her.

"I guess this answers it." 

* * *

The streets of shibuya were more alive at night than in the day. Akira felt the buzz in his pocket as Haru and Ryuji ran off ahead, Ann staying by his side. As soon as he stopped where he was walking, she knew something was up. Morgana peered over his shoulder as he read the text.

_Fuuka: They said there was no body in the casket we buried him in._

Looking up to see the rest of his friends looking back at him, they could read the look of seriousness on his face. He typed a response and hit send before opening up the group chat they all shared.

"The operation is a go."


	3. Fated

_March 3rd_

Sleep refused to wash over Akira that night. His agreement for this operation weighed a heavy deal on his mind. He had stroked Morgana's fur as the cat nestled gently by his side. At least his friend was open to the affections he'd receive as a cat. His parents were known to give him all kinds of hugs, scratches, kisses, and pets that he didn't attest to. The cat didn't sit well on his stomach alongside the curry he had forced himself to eat earlier.

It churned his stomach and wracked his brain as it was keeping him awake now. This operation, by all means, should not be happening. The mementos should not have returned. He should not have considered going back into the metaverse. His friends should have never agreed to go with him.

And Minato Arisato should not be alive.

It seemed to contradict the idea of existence itself. Life ends at some point, regardless of what you do and who you are, and someone who went away peacefully in the arms of a loved one was now wandering the public's desires. He wasn't even sure if it was the public's desire that formed the mementos this time. Perhaps it was just a spectacle to behold around.

A fellow wildcard. A feeling of deja vu that lurked from within him. The thing that made him do double takes in the streets at people he's never seen before. It wasn't just those with blue hair too, he remembered feeling something strange about Akechi Goro from the moment he saw him in the TV station. The thought of the Detective Prince made his heart feel heavy. Even with the nightmares of having a gun pointed to his head, or his friends heads still haunted him, Akira didn't wish for the fate that he had. Not like that.

It wasn't the same as saving Akechi, but Akira planned to make this right. Minato may not want to be saved, but Akira would show him there's a world that still wanted him.

* * *

_March 4th_

"I'm going with you." Fuuka told them. They could barely leave Leblanc when they were confronted by the teal haired woman. Her look of determination was almost adorable at how hard she tried. Akira would have smirked at her attempt to convince them she wanted to do this if circumstances and context were different.

"You know I should tell you to wait, right?" He told her. "We don't need any dead weight with us on this mission." Akira said, causing the girl's facade to lower a little. As much as she hated to admit it, Fuuka knew that she would be of no help in dealing with shadows.

"Actually, Akira." Yusuke spoke up. "She does have experience in this sort of thing. Are you sure she'd be entirely useless?"

"Yeah, plus…" Ann chimed in. "If you tell her no, she'll just find her way in anyways." If there was anyone who knew this, it was Ann.

Akira lowered his shoulders as he let out a sigh. "Alright, you can come with us." He approached her. "You do what I say. You don't interfere. If you're needed you'll be called until then stay put. You cause any problems and you're gone, got it?"

Fuuka had never been so intimidated by a teen before. She gave a solemn nod. "Yes." She responded, unable to look him in the eyes. "Anything else?"

"You'll need a codename. We don't use our real names and you'll be no exception. Any particular ideas for one?"

"Lucia." Her answer came without hesitation.

"I like it." Futaba commented.

"Alright then." Akira smirked. "This will be a joint Phantom Thieves and SEES operation." He said, finding the idea of working with a previous persona user a bit exciting.

"I have a question?" Fuuka spoke up, wiping away his excitement in an instant.

"Why are you taking the cat?"

Morgana snickered from within the bag. "Just you wait."

* * *

"And he turns into a car also!?"

It hadn't even been five minutes and Fuuka could barely keep herself on her feet. The Mementos wasn't too jarring. She thought everyone's outfits looks really cool. Morgana talking was a bit much, and then when he explained everything he knew about the metaverse before turning into a car, she thought she'd faint.

"Lucia, let's go. We don't have all day." Joker called out, patting the side of the Morgana mobile.

"You'll get use to it," Noir told her, offering her a helping hand.

After she took her seat next to Futaba, she looked over at her laptop and noticed the faint signal she was tracing. First her heart raced.

"Signal is faint, but it's him. Just a few levels down."

Fuuka felt herself go pale. She squeezed Haru's hand tighter as she could feel herself shake.

"Alright people we have a job to do." The movement in the vehicle made her stomach churn as Akira spoke. "I'll go in with Panther Queen, and Skull." Fuuka's breathing took a somewhat rapid pace when she recognized Queen as being one of their toughest fighters. "Fox, you are on shadow lookout. Mona will stay as a vehicle unless I give the word. Noir, stay with Lucia.

A numbness spread from her fingertips to her hands. Fuuka's knee bounced up and down on the floor as she tried to calm herself. It all felt too sickening to think that they might have to fight Minato. She tried her best to not start crying. They hadn't even reunited yet and it was all too much for her to take in.

"It'll be okay." Haru cooed, pulling her into a comforting hug.

"Lucia." Joker called to her. "Just stay here. I know you'll want to see him, but we don't want you to get hurt. Got it?"

At first she nodded, and when Joker didn't get verbal confirmation, he followed up with "Do you understand?"

"Yes!" Fuuka responded, almost to loudly, her voice cracking.

"Alright then." Joker said, his voice calm and steady. Panther looked back at her and back at her boyfriend.

"We'll make sure he's okay." She reassured.

Fuuka was ready to respond when the brakes were suddenly slammed. She gasped and held onto Haru. It felt demining to be reduced into such a cowardly state. Yet she knew by the end it'd all be worth it.

"Team, let's move." Joker said. Noir wrapped a comforting arm around Fuuka, and she figured it was to make her feel better, until she realized she was hiding her.

Evoker in his right hand, sword in the other, Minato Arisato waited for the car to continue it's path as the group emerged. The four looked on as he stared at them, blinded by the headlights.

"Why are you here…?" He whispered. "Why did you think coming back was a good idea?"

Joker gave glance towards his teammates before stepping forward. "Listen, we don't want to fight."

"I know."

"We want to help you." Akira explained. "Look," He considered his words carefully. Tipping him off that someone told them about what happened may send him into a rage. "Whatever it is that brought you here, we can fix it.

Minato thought over the words, before tightening his grip on his items. "That's not gonna happen. I'm here for a reason, you're here because of how foolish you think it is to try and help."

"Please," Joker pleaded. If he had to resort to begging, he would. "There's a world out there for you, and you can see it for yourself. There are people out there who care about and love you. It's worth it," He held out his hand towards him. "You can trust me, Minato."

Fuuka emerged from the grip of her friend, hearing nothing but muffled voice, unsure if it was even her once lover outside. But there was a sound, it was unmistakable to her, no matter how long it had been since she heard it. The gunshot, and the glass shattering, the flash reflecting on the windshield. A lone tear fell from her eyes when she at the realization of what was to come.

"WHO TOLD YOU MY NAME!?" Minato growled as Orpheus emerged.

"Joker, plan?" Queen quickly called out.

"Wear him down, subdue him." Joker drew his dagger. It pained him feeling that it would come to this.

Minato casted a fireball that the phantom thief swiftly dodged. Both Joker and Skull quickly charged him. "Give him a beat down he won't forget." Skull said as he summoned Captain Kidd, who lunged at their target who got knocked back by the blow. Seeing an opening, Ryuji took the initiative to leap into the air and swung his bat down at him. Bracing himself, Orpheus swung his harp and knocked Ryuji out of the way, protecting Minato.

"Skull!" Ann called out, quickly rushing over to his side. As he clutched his side, she healed him with her persona. "Joker needs backup!" She called out.

"I'm on it." Queen responded, casting a flashbomb to disorient Minato before quickly kicking the Evoker out of his hand. Swinging his sword, Makoto dodged the swing and was met with a punch to the gut. Shaking off the blow as quickly as she received it, her focus was on chasing down Minato who took off after his evoker.

Tackling him as he reached it, Makoto quickly pulled the sword away and stopped his hand as Minato reached for the evoker, causing it to land in front of his face. He struggled and thrashed in her grip as she pinned him to the ground.

"Someone get over here and help me!" She yelled out.

"Queen!" Joker screamed to her. She only had enough time to look back and see Minato's lips finding itself around the barrel. Before Queen could even react, he had lifted his head and slammed the evoker into the ground, glass shattering out the back of his head. Looking up, Orpheus towered over her before swinging his harp at her, sending her flying.

Ann's mouth was agape. Two of their own already taken out. Joker stood beside her. "Do we get backup?"

Surveying the scene, Joker watched Ryuji help Makoto up as Minato walked towards them. "No, we can still do this." He grabbed her hand, looking into her eyes. "Together."

"Together." She responded.

Both Joker and Panther quickly flanked Minato, while Joker summoned Arsene, Ann used her whip to trip the man on his feet. Orpheus held Joker and Arsene away while Makoto dodged more of Ann's whip. Quickly getting to his feet, Minato felt the whip wrapped around his arm, causing him to drop his sword. Grunting in frustration, Orpheus instead took hold of Arsene, swinging him, and Joker, around and knocking them into Ann.

Akira clutched his head as he tried to recover. Ann was laying on the ground nearby. Anger began to fill him before being cut off when a pair of hands wrapped around his throat.

"This is what happens." Minato hissed, his mouth in a constant snarl while the mask hid away what his eyes were saying. "What made you think an idiot like you was going to help me." He said as Joker struggled in his grip, his feet kicking, his arms trying to pry the hands off of him.

"Lucia! Don't!" Noir called out. Minato's grip loosened slightly. Why did that name sound familiar.

"Minato! Stop this! Please!" He froze in place, his body shaking as he refused to turn his head. Rising up, he moved to see Fuuka standing before him, a hand over her mouth in shock, tears streaming.

"F-F-Fuuka…" His voice trembled as she began to step forward. "W-why are you…" He couldn't finish as she reached a hand out. It felt the cold glass of his mask, before reaching the underside of his chin, her thumb rubbed just by his lips.

Watching the two, Akira started to feel a smile form on his lips. To see the two reunited was its own reward, as Fuuka began to smile as she cried some more. He looked back to Minato but noticed he was still holding on to them.

"You…" Minato reached to her. "Really don't know how to live life if this is where you are."

Fuuka couldn't really process the words he told her. It was when he shoved her away before sticking the Evoker in his mouth and pulling the trigger. Orpheus emerged before Fuuka as she fell to her knees. "Why did you come here!? You were supposed to move on!" Minato's words scratched in her ears, her hands trying to drown out his harsh voice. The flames around him whirled in rage as he walked towards her.

"Eiha!" Joker casted, hitting Minato in the side. He cried out in more pain than the move actually caused, clutching his side as he fell to his knees. Haru quickly rushed out and ushered Fuuka away while Fox helped Ann to the van.

"Joker!" Morgana called out. "Get in. We need to get the hell out of here!"

Akira hurried over to the van, taking one last look at Minato, when something stopped him. Tears were streaming past his mask as he placed the Evoker so far down his throat he was gagging, pulling the trigger repeatedly to no effect. Despite being their enemy, rejecting their help, and hurting someone they loved, Akira refused to let go of the idea that he could be saved.

Not like this. Not again.

"Can you do me a favor, Mona?" He asked.

"Yeah, when you get in, I'll do anything."

"Make sure they get back safe." Joker told them.

"Wait, what!?" Mona called out, catching the attention of his teammates.

"I'm not leaving him like this." His voice filled with determination. " Not again."

Fox emerged into the front seat. "Are you sure about this?"

Looking into the car, Ryuji looked too tired to argue, Makoto and Ann were both unconscious, Haru was busy consoling Fuuka, and Futaba sulked in the back.

"I am. Take care of the others for me. We'll get out of here. I promise."

Heeding his words, Yusuke gave one last look at his friend. "Good luck to you, Joker."

The car pulled away, much to the disdain of everyone inside. Akira Kurusu spun in his place, the coattails flowing behind him as he walked towards Minato Arisato, who rose to his feet with a look of rage burning beneath his mask. A feeling Akira knew all too well, a feeling he had overcome, and now something he would help someone else with. No matter the cost.

"I can't believe you would do something like…" Minato's voice rose from a low growl. "Taunting me, showing someone I love what had become of me." He said, twirling the evoker in his hand. "You're horrible…"

Akira only stared back, before reaching up and removing his mask. He blinked a little before looking back at Minato. No Phantom Thieving, a real face for him to face instead.

"MONSTER!" Arisato's voice tore through the desolate mementos and right at him. To Kurusu, it didn't even make him flinch. It hurt him though, to see someone be reduced to this state. Gripping his dagger tightly, he reached into his coat and drew his gun, holding it behind his back.

"Minato, my name is Akira Kurusu." A proper introduction could help set things straight, perhaps. "I know it means nothing to you, but I'm not letting you live like this."

"I don't live though!" Minato yelled back. "I've been down here for so long… it's not living. If it is in your eyes, they need to be fixed."

Akira had to stop himself from smirking. For some reason, he thought Minato was joking about his eyesight. Like an old friend teasing. "This doesn't have to be this way. Let us help you."

Hanging his head, Minato breathed in. "You've helped… enough. Seeing Fuuka one last time, as painful as it was, is all I need." Looking back up at Akira, the man broadened his shoulders and stood up straight.

"You're coming with me."

Akira raised the pistol and fired right as Minato lifted the Evoker to his head. His sharp aim knocked the gun right out of his hand. The blue hair man blocked the first dagger swing with his sword while the other arm caught the other, preventing a pistol whip from meeting his face. The raven hair youth opted to spin his arm and turn his opponent around before planting a boot on his back and sending him into the wall. Minato's head slammed forward and the sound of glass cracking was heard. Turning around, a lone shard of glass had fallen, his left eyes peering out.

Going for broke, Joker stuck the gun in his enemies face and pulled the trigger. Minato brushed the gun away just as it fired, the flash briefly illuminating his face from underneath the clock. The distraction of trying to focus who it was under the mask provided him with the perfect chance to jab the sword towards Akira's neck, who quickly leaned back and dodged a follow up slash.

Putting space between them, Akira waited for the next move Minato would make. The masked man swung wildly at him, seemingly not caring about precision or if any attack was landing. Once he lunged forward with a stab, Akira moved slightly aside and instead grabbed Minato's arm before throwing him to the ground. Pinning him down, he clicked the hammer of the gun and pointed it at the man's forehead.

And that's when he saw it. It had been something he had seen in the eyes of so many others. Whether it was Morgana getting fatty tuna, or Hifumi making a winning shogi play, it was something he learned to pick up in others in order to read their emotions.

The look of someone who was about to get something they wanted.

"Do it. Put me back where I belong." Minato told him. "I already hurt someone I love who just wanted to help… why should I go back."

Akira lowered the gun, holstering it before standing up. Minato only lifted up his upper body. "I… loved them." He confessed, tears spilling out of the mask again. "You feel it too, don't you? Everyone single one of your friends, people you've formed bonds with, they're special, aren't they? Such a wonderful feeling that I would have given everything for them. And I did. My last memories before waking up here were of them all approaching me. It felt so warm, and the wind was so comforting, that I couldn't have asked for anything better." Looking up at Akira, who hung onto every word his counterpart spoke. "I'm too scared to think that was all for nothing, that it had all been a waste. I don't even know why I'm back here."

"I get it, being scared. It's a drastically different world that may not hold the answers you seek." Akira told him. "But you don't have to do it alone. You won't be alone, I'll help you. My friends and I will. We'll help you form the future you deserve and you can live in the world above." He held out his hand. "We can get through this… together."

"How though?" Minato responded, his head lowering back down. The two didn't even notice the sound of chains rattling. "Not when I hurt the one person I loved most. I'm not worth redeeming after what I've done down here."

"You can be, you can live long enough to see that you are worth something." Akira responded. Now the sound was getting closer, and it made both of them anxious. "Please, Minato. Put your trust in me and you'll see that despite the hardships, it's a world worth living in.

His hands shook as Minato raised them. He had no reason to trust Akira, and Akira had no reason to trust him. The two had been enemies, but at the same time shared a common purpose. They were connected whether they liked it or not. As the chains got closer, and the threat that loomed over him, he was at a crossroads. Continue to live down here in solace until he eventually took his life, or rediscover a world he had left behind with little more than the word of someone who wanted to help him.

As soon as the chains rang out from behind him, the decision was made, and grabbing Akira's hand was the first comforting touch Minato had felt in a long time. It almost felt like the last thing he would feel when his vision was enveloped in a bright light.


	4. Wildcard

Gasping as the room around him rushed towards the ground without any warning. He gripped the chair he seemingly found himself in as he braced for the elevator to slam into the bottom floor. It never came, and he relaxed briefly once he started to examine the room he was in.

And he heard it, that inaudible sirens song that sang to him. Akira knew where he was, but this was not his Velvet Room. The elevator descended at a high speed that seemed to never reach its destination. From the different decor, to the chair he doesn't even remember sitting in, it all felt too alien to him. Such was the ways with visiting the Velvet Room.

"Well, this is the most interesting circumstances we've come upon." Igor's voice spoke. Akira faced forward to only just notice the man sitting across from him. It was if he hadn't moved at all. Standing to his hosts left was a girl, dressed in blue with silver hair. Lavenza's sister, he knew. But Lavenza never told him about having a sister, so how did he know?

"Allow me to introduce my servant," Igor waved his hand over. "This here is Elizabeth."

The servant in question looked absolutely guilt ridden to Akira. She gave a bow of her head. "It is nice to meet you, Trickster. I'm glad we're finally able to meet, so that I may extend my sincerest apologies."

"Wha…?" His mind was in a haze, he was certain he was dreaming. Then again, every trip to the Velvet Room was an unwanted lucid dream in Akira's mind.

"A long time ago, our guest we hosted gave his life to become the Great Seal. His sacrifice prevented the end of days from happening, at the cost of his own life." Elizabeth explained. "I felt there was an injustice in this fate, that he should have been allowed to live on with the bonds he had formed and continue his life. I left the Velvet Room in search of a way to save him from this curse. This had already caused a great conflict between my older sister and I."

Akira made a mental note to ask Lavenza about her family tree if they got the chance. Still, he listened to her every word. Minato had sacrificed himself, that much he learned from Fuuka. And here was the servant of his velvet room, leaving her duty behind in order to free him from this "great seal." Rage filled his heart at the idea of her trapping him down in mementos.

"That is when… I came upon a powerful being." Her voice began to shake. "They promised me that they would eradicate the need for a great seal, that he could return to life. I accepted his offer and next thing I knew, I along with Igor were imprisoned. I was forced to watch as my poor little sister was split into two and the Velvet Room, your Velvet Room, was taken over in order to play a sick game. My master barely had enough time to create the help you needed."

He never did thank Igor for Morgana, Akira remembered. "So you're the reason Yaldabaoth was able to get into the Velvet Room." He looked to her. "Do you know what you caused?" There was no anger in his voice. Akira couldn't bring himself to hate someone in the Velvet Room unless they gave him a reason.

"I could only watch…" Her legs trembled, clutching the book in her arms tightly. "When I returned, I swore to myself I would find a way to make it up to the world for what I caused it to go through."

"Now now, Elizabeth." Igor chided. "Let us be grateful for the outcome the game reached. After all, a certified trickster came about from it."

Elizabeth regained her composure. "Just one question." Akira stated. "Why did Minato appear in Mementos after all this time?"

* * *

His eyes slowly fluttered open. First time in a while he felt actually rested from sleep. The bed he rested in wasn't in the slightest comfortable. Merely a metal table, it seemed. Rising to his feet, Minato briefly wondered where he was before something rang in his ears. It sounded so vaguely familiar yet he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Examining his surroundings, he cursed to himself when he saw the prison cell he found himself in. Such was the ways his cruel fate lead him to. Falling to his knees, he wondered just how much more he would be put through.

"It appears a previous guest has found their way in." The voice of a young child snapped him out of his thoughts as he looked to see a girl with silver hair carrying a book in front of the open cell door. He knew her… right? Silver hair, blue clothing, someone very close to him was just like her.

"Well, it seems you had become a prisoner of fate as well." Igor spoke up. Minato's eyes widened at the realization of where he was. How long had it been since his visit to the Velvet Room? Yet it felt like he had never truly left. "It is very nice to see you again. My heart went out to you when I had learned of what became of you. Surely you must have many questions, Lavenza here would be so kind as to explain."

"When you passed on to become the great seal, my older sister's heart ached. She refused to allow such an ordeal to befall upon you." Lavenza explained to him. "She had left the Velvet Room in search of a way to free you. A year ago, that fate came in the form of a terrible being who promised her to free you. Instead, they invaded the Velvet Room, subjecting the world to a cruel game. Thankfully, a cunning Trickster was able to defeat him."

Minato hung his head. So Akira had truly walked the path of the Fool like he had. Forming bonds with those around him, and using the strength from them to overcome an impossible task. "He did it… didn't he? Your Trickster defeated that God and then I was trapped in Hell?"

Lavenza shook her head. "Not Hell, for his last trick, you were placed in a hidden pocket of the public's desires. Hidden away from the world. It wasn't until my Trickster returned and reunited with his friends that his bonds with those he held dear to his heart reached out to you. You felt it, didn't you? You had a desire to live again even though you felt you shouldn't. That desire called out to him, and he answered."

"I shouldn't be putting him through this, though." Minato looked to the floor. "I'm not his problem. This issue shouldn't be someone else's burden." He clenched his fist, his body riddled with shame. The sound of gentle footsteps could be heard as a shadow loomed over his. A gently hand placed itself on his head.

"You are not. Even if it feels there's no reason for you to keep living, there's no reason for you to stop." Lavenza spoke to him, her voice comforting for Minato. "You two have a great battle to face soon. If you are able to overcome it, your reward will be far greater than anything else you've gained."

Looking up at her, Minato was met with a promising smile. Igor voice seemed to echo to his mind, as if reaching far beyond the room. "You are both Wildcards. The possibilities your skills hold is infinite. As is the way with life. Wouldn't it be worth to see what possibility yours can hold in store for you?"

"Yes…" Minato stood up. "You're right." He faced forward, Igor grinning in satisfaction. "I'm not going to live in fear of the inevitable. Not what it could be something for the better." His face burned with desire as he reached up to touch it. For the first time in a while, he felt his actual face. No mask to hide behind, a truth to face with his own eyes.

"I have headed your resolve." Orpheus's voice echoed in his mind. His whole body shook with excitement. "And together, you and I will take hold of this new opportunity given to us.

"Good luck," Lavenza nodded her head. "I will give my older sister your regards."

Minato gave one last look at her. The name, someone he knew. Someone extraordinary to him helped him get to where he was.

* * *

"Elizabeth!" Minato shot up from the ground. He was back in Mementos, his mask on his face still. He grunted in anger as he tugged on it, his skin resisting the pull.

"What floor are we on?" Akira muttered as he woke up, looking around. What he wouldn't give to get out of this gaudy subway.

"Took the Elevator, I see." Minato joked as he looked over. Shadows were emerging from every dark corridor. The sounds of chains ceased, and The Reaper has appeared, spinning it's revolvers as he looked towards the pair menacingly.

"Minato…" Akira whispered. Instead, his blue haired companion walked past him and towards the shadows.

"I… am sick of wanting to return to the Afterlife." He said, his hands having a firm grip on his mask. "Sick of being torn apart by my emotions of how I want to live." His hands pulled on the mask harder, ignoring the pain it gave him. "I'm not going to live waiting to die again, I'm going to live finally!" He yelled as he dropped to his knees, slamming his face into the ground. His fingertips gripped the mask with all his might as he jerked his face upwards, a cascade of blood flowing down his face as the barbed mask lay on the ground.

Walking up behind him, Akira placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. Turning around, Minato's blood covered face barely showed his eyes. Holding out his Evoker to him by the barrel, Akira nodded to him as the man took it and spun it around as he looked in his eyes before pulling the trigger.

The two spun around, facing the shadows that were awaiting them. Joker countered the attack of one with his dagger and fired a few rounds into it, before summing Arsene and casting Eiagon at another. He lunged into another shadow, stabbing it with his dagger and pushing it away as he fired several bullets into it.

Akira knelt down, allowing Minato to get a running start and jump off his back and ram his sword into the head of a shadow. He twirled his Evoker and fired it under his chin, causing Orpheus to decimate the shadow with fire before he turned and swiped his sword, decapitating an enemy as they faded away.

"Sure we haven't fought together before?" Akira asked.

"Maybe in a past life," Minato chuckled. The feeling of fighting alongside someone to conquer shadows felt liberating to him. The trigger squeeze from his hands send an exhilaration through him as the Evoker fired. A newfound embrace in his own death.

The Reaper began lurking towards the two as they decimated the number of shadows. Spinning both revolvers, it aimed one at Joker and the other at Minato. Focusing on Minato first, it pulled the trigger. The bullet traveled at Minato, who turned to see Joker leap in front of him and deflect it quickly.

"I'll distract while you deal with the rest of these shadows." Giving a confident smirk to him, Akira rushed forward, sliding across the ground as he fired several rounds at the Reaper. The shadow hardly flinched as Joker somersaulted past it, having Arsene cleave the monster which did little damage. Clicking one of it's barrels, the Reaper pointed one gun forward and another behind it.

"Minato!" Akira called out, giving the man enough time to dodge the oncoming bullet fired at him. The raven haired teen did not fare as well, as a bullet struck him square in the chest. He fell to the ground, hand over his wound as he searched for medicine in his inventory.

"Jo… ker…?" The Reaper's voice echoed from it's mouth, and Akira could feel a chill down his spine. The way the shadow spoke, it was if it found some form of familiarity with the title. That only seemed to motivate it in finishing off it's target.

"Over here!" Minato yelled out, Orpheus casting fire at the Beast. The open window gave Akira enough time to rise to his knees and heal. Orpheus quickly slammed it's harp at the Reaper, who was knocked back slightly. Fire several rounds of bullets in retaliation, Orpheus took the brunt of the blow, with a stray scraping past Minato's leg.

The Reaper closed in, it's prey in sight. Raising a barrel and pointing it straight at the man's head. Minato only looked back with a lack of fear. Not even Death scared him. The cylinder rotating as the trigger was squeezed, Akira's battle cry rang out as Arsene's wings flapped in the air, the phantom thief barreling towards shadow swinging his dagger, distracting the Reaper enough for Minato to dodge.. Quickly firing the Evoker against his forehead, Orphues grabbed one of the Reapers arms while Arsene grabbed the other. Quickly, the shadow mustered enough strength to lift the two persona's and throw them, taking their owners with them.

First he was flying through the air, and next thing akira knew, he was on the ground with an Evoker sliding towards him. Looking up to see Minato lying on his back, gasping for air. In his hazy vision, a flying blue butterfly had caught their attention, both staring at it as it fluttered between them.

"_If you wish to conquer this foe, you must dwell in each others paths if for just a moment."_

It was a voice, familiar to both. To Minato, he sat up, his mind processing who just spoke to him. Akira rose to his knees, smiling at the familiarity and comfort that it brought him. Both their names on each others lips.

"Lavenza."

"Elizabeth."

The two looked at each other, both bruised and bloody. Standing up, Akira held out his arm with the Evoker extended at Minato. The blue haired man limped forward, grabbing a hold of Joker's face and find his way to his mask, the barrel pressing against his forehead.

"You… no matter what happens, I'm glad I met you." Minato told him, staring in his eyes.

"When this is over, I'll stay by your side." Akira responded.

With that, he pulled the trigger. Minato flung back, pulling the mask with him. The forms of Arsene and Orpheus gone, replaced with Messiah and Satanel in their place. Looking back at the Reapers, who began firing aimlessly at the two to no avail, the two reached the hands out and took hold of the shadow. Lifting it up and slamming it to the ground, the two Persona's pulled the Reaper by its arms until it's form split down the middle, it's body dissipating as it went without a sound.

Minato fell over, being caught by Akira. "Hey, we did it." The raven haired youth explained. "We can… you can go now."

"To where?" Minato asked. "I think I scared away the only person in the world waiting for me."

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't see what it has in store for you." Akira explained. "Come on, let me give you a chance to see it.

With that, the two limped off, through the mementos. The entire trek was silent, and lengthy. Akira kicked himself at the fact that he had sent the rest of his allies away. They were probably worried sick about him. He'd let them know they were fine as soon as they got out.

Minato remembered seeing the subway exit. Shutting his eyes as Akira helped him up the stairs. The sensation of nothing but cool, almost still air was almost forgotten the moment a light breeze rustled his hair.

_March 5th_

The wind felt nice today, as Minato let go with Akira he looked around him. He had never been to Tokyo before as he looked around. It was early in the morning as a few people were just starting their day. Devices in their hands that he didn't recognize, new fashion trends and billboards that he couldn't wrap his head around. He patted himself down to find himself wearing a grey coat and regular pants, his old winter clothes. He turned back to Akira, who smiled at him.

"I'm already lost." He admitted, his voice trembling.

Walking over to him, the teen smiled as he put a hand on the man's shoulder. "I'll show you where's a good place to start."

The train ride was quite a shock as well, so much that Minato didn't even see what was out the window. He tried his best to not examine too many people sitting around him. Even that fact that a teenager was his mentor in all of this when he himself had aged seemed to bring him shame, as if he shouldn't have been there.

A cafe, his home he told him. Akira had opened the door, holding it open for Minato as he ventured in. The atmosphere was calming, an aroma of coffee and curry

"Whoa, someone was out late." A voice rang out from inside, causing Minato to freeze like a deer in headlights. A stern looking older man sized him up. Minato held his breath as he was examined.

"Sijiro," Akira chided, as if to lecture the old man. "This is Minato Arisato, he's a… friend. A good friend of mine."

Sijiro stared back at the man, who looked back with pleading eyes. His stern posture lowered and an almost smug grin appeared on his face, Minato still wasn't entirely sure what to think of him. "You look like you could use some coffee." He said. "Have a seat, I was planning to make some curry."

Akira patted his friend's back as they seated themselves. Minato bowed his head. "Thank you for your hospitality, sir."

"No need to be too thankful, I serve his friends all the time." Sojiro placed down a cup of coffee in front of the two. Minato eagerly took the cup with both hands, inhaling it's comforting scent into his nose. The excitement of having coffee again after so long resulted in him attempting to gulp down the steaming hot liquid, burning his mouth.

"Coffee is still hot, ya know." Akira joked.

"Haven't ever had coffee before?" Sojiro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just…been a while. "Minato tried to explain, blowing off the steam rising from his cup.

Sojiro shot Akira a look, it was clear that he was confused and maybe a little concerned by the man's behavior. Vouching to tell him in secret, Akira took out his phone and typed. Standing behind Minato, who paid him no attention, Akira showed a message to Sojiro.

_He almost hurt himself. Go easy on him._

Nodding solemnly, Sojiro got back to making the two curry.

In the meantime, Akira sent out another text, one he should have sent earlier.

_He made it. We're at Cafe Leblanc. Come here in an hour._

"Here you two go. I gotta run back to my place really quick. You two eat hearty."

"Thank you, sir." Minato bowed his head once more. It was after Sojiro left that silence was left between the two. At first Akira wasn't sure if he should be concerned or relaxed by the still air. Looking over at Minato, who chowed down on curry, the man eating like he hadn't eaten in years, which didn't surprise him in the slightest.

"So, what do you plan to do?" Akira asked him. The man stopped eating, looking up from the bowl as he stared through space. For a moment, he was afraid he had given his newfound friend an existential crisis.

"You know, I had all the plans in the world before I passed on." Minato said. "At the time, all I cared about outside of SEES operations were just hanging with friends, singing karaoke on the weekends, was a member of the photography club with Fuuka." He smiled, his gaze lowering. "That's how we got close. I once asked if she'd like to be a model for a photo project I was working on. Poor girl nearly fainted when I did."

"My girlfriend, Ann could give her some pointers." Akira joked.

"Was she the in the red spandex?" He asked, making Akira wince at the idea of Ann hearing him say that. "She's one hell of a fighter. I can see why you like her so much. Both her and that girl who knocked me on my back. She could kill a gorilla."

"Yeah, that's Makoto. She was our student council president. Real smart, she was able to find out our secret about being Phantom Thieves." The teen responded, almost too embarrassed to share.

"You got found out?" Minato exclaimed. "Some leader you were."

"Yeah yeah." He rubbed the back of his head. "So my ship wasn't ran as tightly as yours might have been."

"Oh no, plenty of close calls." Minato said, finishing another bite of Curry. "I'm just glad to hear I wasn't the only one with too many to count."

The two shared their stories over a cup of coffee, and to them, it felt like meeting someone they've known their entire lives. Unseen red string that entwined the two's fates had finally brought one of them with another, leaving them to wonder who else had shared a journey like theres.

* * *

Minato paced, waiting. His heart raced, his palms moist, his legs almost buckling underneath him. Futaba and Morgana had arrived to deliver the news that the phantom thieves, including Fuuka, were on their way. The group had gathered outside the cafe, Akira leaning against the fence with Futaba, his cat perched on his shoulder, as they watched him nearly writhe in anxiety. The redhead herself could see herself in this situation, and wondered if there was anything to do that could help.

"I mean, we should say something." She told Akira.

"He said he just needs time to think." He responded. "Minato, everything alright?"

"I don't know." The man responded bluntly, walking over to them. "I mean I had no plans for what to do if I ever saw just anyone of them again. I don't know what she will say, or if she's found someone new."

"It'll be alright." Akira assured him. "Take a deep breath, prepare yourself for what you will do, not how others are gonna react."

"We promised you we'd help you." Morgana told him. "No matter what happens, we'll stick by your side for this."

Minato backed away from them, his eyes widened as he stared at the two. "I'm sorry, the talking cat thing still makes it feel surreal."

"You told me he would be used to it." Morgana whispered to Akira, who shrugged very slightly.

"I overestimated." He replied simply, smirking to himself.

From behind Minato, a trample of footsteps were heard. He froze in place as someone took a running start forward, half expecting a pair of arms to wrap around his waist. Instead, Ann nearly leaped into Akira's arms, glad for his return. The rest of the Phantom Thieves rushed forward, glad to see their leader in good shape.

Ryuji was very abrasive, in a nice way, though. It reminded him of Junpei's kindness when they first met.

Ann had a very cheerful personality. Minato had a feeling he wasn't getting the full extent of it, not that he had earned it from her yet.

Yusuke was a very odd fellow. It seemed as though the artist had a million questions he wanted to ask about his demise. Instead, he introduced himself with his full name, a bow, and commented on their share of a hair colour.

Makoto seemed very distant at first. Minato wasn't sure if it was from their brawl earlier or something else. Instead, he complimented her on her name, and told her she was quite the fighter. From there, he cold exterior melted to reveal a very vibrant person.

Futaba's behavior trumped Fuuka's in terms of shyness. When she had arrived at the cafe, she mainly kept to herself for a while until Minato was curious about the latest forms of technology. Admittedly, he feared she took too much pride in explaining the latest trends in electronics and the kind she herself owned.

Haru kindness was nearly too much for him to take in. She asked him if he was feeling alright, and that if there was anything he needed he could contact her. From the way she said it, Minato would have thought he just formed a powerful organized crime connection.

The introductions were brief, because he knew the most important person to him was still right behind her. Her shallow footsteps on the concrete caused his heart rate to nearly spike. His knees trembled as he clenched his fists. Regardless of how she would react, Minato resolved to set things right with his second chance.

Turning around, he faced Fuuka from the other side of the alley way. It seemed that there was no one else around as he took a step forward, the support of his new friends behind him. "Fuuka…" he whispered to himself as his pace picked up.

"Minato…" She gasped, tears streaming down her face. Fuuka ran forward and wrapped her arms around him as she began to sob in his arms.

Tears streamed down his face as his hands ran over her hair. It almost felt too good for him. After what he did in the Mementos, he was certain she'd leave him behind, rightfully so in his eyes. "Fuuka… about what I did."

"No." She said, looking up at him. "You don't have to say anything. It's okay."

"It isn't." Minato exclaimed, almost too assertively to her. "Please… let me start things off here by making it right." He explained. "When I woke up, I didn't know what was going on, or where I was, or how long it had really been. All I knew was that you were safe, and the others were doing well. So when I _saw_ you down there," He voice cracked. "You looked so wonderful, and so beautiful, that I was afraid I'd taint the person you had become. Fuuka Yamagishi, no matter how you choose to live your life, please no I'm so sorry for hurting you." His whole body trembled. "Please don't let my ugliness ruin you."

Hanging his head, Minato felt a burden lifted off his shoulders. It was anyone's guess to how Fuuka would react, but all that mattered was that he set things right with the person he loved. A soft, tender hand cupped his cheek and lifted his head.

"Minato Arisato, I am more than willing to forgive you. You have no idea what it means to have you back in my life." She said, smiling at him as tears streamed down her face. "I promise that I'll stay by your side."

Taking her hand in his, Minato squeezed her hand as his eyes blurred with tears. Turning around, he could see the blurred images of a group of people, his friends, all watching with their own happiness.

The group shared a few laughs and stories over coffee for the rest of the morning, up until the evening. From there, Fuuka and Minato decided to return to their friends, to share the wonderful news. They promised they would never forget the Phantom Thieves kindness, and that they would all stay in touch. The pair entered the train, and let the door close behind them as they waved goodbye to Tokyo, watching the group run to keep up with the train until the last moment.

It was almost too quiet in the cabin, Minato thought. Fuuka reassured him that subways got very crowded still in Japan. Still, the few people there with them was a little odd, not that he cared. Taking a seat, Fuuka cuddled up to him, resting her head on his shoulder as he patted her hair. From outside, the sunset lit the sky a peaceful orange as the train traveled along the tracks.

For the first time in forever, Minato Arisato could not keep his eyes closed.


End file.
